Epicenter Wins Juror's Award for DesignArts Utah '15

“Design is alive and well in Utah.” So says the juror of DesignArts Utah ’15, Randy J. Hunt. Mr Hunt has selected sixteen designs by fifteen Utah designers to be featured in DesignArts Utah ’15, including Epicenter. In addition to being exhibited, Epicenter received the Juror’s Award for “This Is Green River.”

“This Is Green River” was facilitated by Maria Sykes (Epicenter Principal) with assistance from Bryan Brooks (Epicenter Intern) and curated by Pete Collard (curator from London, England). Steph Crabtree (Epicenter staff) designed and built the exhibit furniture with assistance from Armando Rios (Epicenter staff) and Daniel Richards (Epicenter intern). The exhibit is accompanied by a 16-minute documentary film by Alice Masters (filmmaker from Prague, Czech Republic). Sincerely Interested created the graphic design.

“‘This Is Green River’ embodies narrative in design. The stories are moving, and the form gives the content the package it needs to be attractive and appealing without getting in the way. The stories highlighted are local and specific, and yet the themes are universal: struggle to preserve, generational transitions, attraction to the landscape, the ebb and flow of a community, resilience, a connection to place and the people of that place. In both the exhibit and the documentary video, the execution is beautiful, detailed, and yet comfortable. The aesthetic is contemporary but shows the promise of holding up as timeless.” -Randy J. Hunt, Creative Director at Etsy and juror for Design Arts Utah 2015.

The DesignArts Utah ’15 exhibition at the Rio Gallery in Salt Lake City will open on September 4 and run through October 23, 2015; the exhibition reception and celebration will be on October 16, 2015 from 6-9 pm. The full “This Is Green River” exhibition is on display at the John Wesley Powell River History Museum in Green River until October 31, 2015.